Dombrowski acknowledged that Santiago may be focused on finding a starting job and “it wouldn’t surprise me if someone stepped up and offered him an everyday role and the type of dollars that he’s looking to receive somewhere else.”

Santiago has averaged just 278 plate appearances during the past four years, but he’s hit .266 with a .709 OPS and is a plus defender at shortstop and second base. If he ends up re-signing with Detroit it’ll likely be because he wasn’t offered an everyday job elsewhere.